On Monday we sailed to Mazarron (which I know is not on the way to the Balearics) and had a lovely evening saying goodbye to some friends. On Tuesday we sailed up to Cabo de Palos (after some navigational advice from Tony…..turn left) and met an English chap who had been in Cartagena with us last year. He is living aboard a Sadler 32 and has been doing so for years. He has decided not to sail far now so kindly gave me all his charts for the Azores, Canaries, Cape Verde, Caribbean and Venezuela along with four volumes of cruising guide to the Caribbean. The charts are mostly the old white admiralty type but not that old that they say “Here be dragons”. I now have no excuse not to do the Atlantic but not for a year or two.

Yesterday we sailed the 65nm up to Altea which was a great sail with the cruising chute out most of the way and a good wind of 12 to 20kts. Unfortunately it died in the early evening so we motored the last couple of hours to get in before dark. The last time I came in here the staff gave me a hard time for not radioing in first so they could direct me to a berth…………I was a good boy this time but the result is we are on a horrid berth which is a bit short for us. I will know what to do next time………..

Off to Formentara tomorrow.